How often should templates be audited?

Quarterly template audits provide a reasonable baseline for most programs. This cadence catches gradual degradation-accumulated CSS that's no longer needed, components that have drifted from brand standards, or rendering issues introduced by client updates. Set calendar reminders; audits that happen \"when we have time\" tend not to happen.

Beyond regular cadence, trigger audits when significant changes occur: major email client updates (new Outlook version, iOS release with Mail changes), brand refresh or design system evolution, ESP migration or template platform changes, or accessibility standard updates. Apple's Mail Privacy Protection rollout and Gmail's image proxy changes both broke assumptions that required template updates.

Audit scope should include: rendering across current top clients (your audience mix may have shifted), code quality review (deprecated tags, unnecessary complexity, load times), accessibility compliance (contrast ratios, alt text, semantic structure), mobile and dark mode behavior, and brand alignment (do templates still match current guidelines?). Templates age silently. The uemail that worked perfectly two years ago may have accumulated invisible problems. Regular audits surface issues before they surface in your metrics.